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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stand · saw · fine · club · rule · pop · sharp · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pop — to visit
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stand — to bear
  6. fine — high quality
  7. rule — government
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. ground — the earth
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pop — music
  12. rule — a law
  13. club — a group
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. fine — all right
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. club — for golf
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pop — soda
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com